Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-13
PURELYPERSONAL.

PURELY PERSONAL.
Elsewhere our readers will find commun-
ication from Col H. w. Lewis, in defense Of
the police commission and Of the law-sup-
porting that rule, together with our cate
gurical reply. But as his defense presumably,
embodies the feelings and convictions OF all
those who favor such an ultimatum. and as
it makes a personal diagnosis" Of the case
of the editor IF the EAGLE we desire, in all
earnestness, to present the following state
ment, leaving it to Col Lewis himself and
to the people of Wichita, without regard to
their party preferences, political creeds or
religious beliefs and convictions, whether we
arrogate or claim amiss:
Nearly all of the great triumphs which
have mari ed the years Of ages have been the
I esnlt of some one individuals unfaltering
faith and answering devotion. thus
equipped mediocrity has triumphed thou
sand times where success has marked the eff
forts of genius but rarely. No one better
understands that every man has his ambition
than our critic That of the great majority
is for wealth, or for an independent
Cmpeter ce that Of othe rsfor political, militia
~ literary moral or religious prominence. That
il our friend has been, is, for the founding of
a great banking institution and amassing
w ealth. Ours has been to build up a great
city. For fifteen years it has been hedream
to which we have subordinated everything
W hich we personally could command, in
~ ,,divu Y,o1iticoI ambitions opI ,,oIitical in
fuences, personal associations, desire for
wealth, hopes of literary success-everything.
To see Wichita the great city of Kansas; to
bend powerful outside Influences to her aid,
to devise :chemes, to determine what to say
and how to say it, that our own faith might
BE impaired to her people and the outside
" orld at the same time be convinced, we
ha We laid awake at night, and racked our
br ain by day, until the officers of great
corporations have, no doubt, prayed for our
cath, and friendly Iepers called us crank.
But the thousands upon thousands of col
u INNS of twelve years persistent talk of
w ichita, about Wichita, and the Arkansas
Y alley, at last began to be felt and the light
and life flowed in, not only upon Wichita,
but over the vast domain which is vet TO sus-
tain her as a great city in all the years to
come
Hundreds of neighbors and friends
yes, thousands, of citizens and even stran-
gers, began to realize according as was their
fla it'll in all that phe EAGLE had declared,
to grow rich in the increased
value of possessions which they had formerly
counted as of little worth. 1t is unnecessary
for us to say that we could have in scores of
instances, taken advantage of our own sue
cessful work, and of our own knowledge Of
situations. and have piled up fortune as
great as that many of our intimate personal
friends; but, the conviction, the knowledge,
that if it ever was understand or felt that
our work was for selfish ends and personal
gains, that then our influence with the men
who represented the varied and in some
sense, antagonistic interests in our city, and
with outside but powerful influences would
end and with it vanish all our hopes and
dreams of crowded thoroughfares, busy
city, held us to our work and course.
Col. Lewis may not be able to understand
snch a work, such an ambition, but
of its results he can look about
him, and for that matter into
his own pocket. As for what the EAGLE, as
a paper, has accomplished for Wichita he
can find out at home or abroad As to the
possible or probable ultimate position of
such ambition, time-the near future-wiIl
tell; but no denial of the effacy of the efforts
put forth or of the value of the labor expend-
ed or criticism from any source however
great can have any weight with the writer.
And in saying all this We do not ignore. nor
are We unmindflil of the fact of the telling
and unselfish work of a great number of our
fellow citizens. There has been
many and varied combinations and
associations working independently and
from different stand points for the same end.
"a great city and consequent profit,-wh if
not fraternizing with each other were always
with the EAGLE. OF the results the people
Of Wichita-the world-are advised Moth
ing that Colonel Lewis might write. nothing
that the multitude might say, could effect
ev en- as an editor, nor efface our convictions
and knowledge of the effects and facts, which
in number all the columns of this paper could
not contain.
And, now, after all, whatever may be
thought Of all this by those who believe and
side with Colonel Lewis, riches take unto
themselves wings, political honors however
az alted, vanish, then why has not the am
hilton of which We speak as having been
ours and to which we have bent all other
hopes and chances of preferment, been as
worthy, as uHselfsh, as enrolling and result
I'd IN the happiness Of as many people: and
Why will it not prove as enduring a monu-
meat as If we had amassed great wealth or
founded and endowed, in our own name, q
Ereat institution of learning!
We leave it with the fair minded and the
wrejudiced to answer.